


Gunned Down and It Feels Like Drowning

by anxious_soul



Series: Bad Things Happen [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Blood, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Dialogue Heavy, Domestic Avengers, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt Tony Stark, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Post-Avengers (2012), The Avengers Are Good Bros, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxious_soul/pseuds/anxious_soul
Summary: In which Tony startles Bucky awake, Bucky sleeps with a gun and accidents happen.
Series: Bad Things Happen [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889176
Comments: 26
Kudos: 158





	Gunned Down and It Feels Like Drowning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [harryhermionerw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryhermionerw/gifts).



> Who very kindly gave me an idea for this one! They said: For gunshot maybe tony wakes up a spy (nay/Clint/bucky) who shots him accidentally before they’re all the way awake. So thank you very much and I hope it lives up to expectation! 
> 
> Bad Things Happen Prompt(s): Gunshot Wound
> 
> I had hoped to get this uploaded much sooner but life and stress and all that BS got in the way of me finishing this, but hey, at least it wasn't another month! 
> 
> Oh, and my first relationship is over... I did the breaking up, it was hella awkward, but being single has helped greatly with my stress! I don't think relationships are for me tbh, but oh well, can't tell much from only being in one. 
> 
> Hope everyone is doing alright! And a big thank you for all your comments, I have yet to reply to some of them but I have read them!

Technically, it wasn’t Tony’s fault.

All he wanted was coffee at three in the morning.

He didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand.

He didn’t mean to land himself in the hospital _again._

**——LINE BREAK——**

The genius had wandered up to the communal area in the early hours of the morning in desperate need of a caffeine fix. Distantly, Tony was aware that he wasn’t being quite as quiet as someone should be at three in the morning, but it didn’t really matter because everyone slept on different floors and their rooms were soundproofed. 

So as he waited for his coffee to be made, he reached up on his tiptoes for a glass to get some water. Only for the glass to bypass his hand and smash on the floor. 

Everything happened so quickly in that moment. 

A startling bang followed barely a second after the shattering of the glass.

For Tony, the world seemed to tilt on its side as he slid to the ground; an unexpected eruption of agony spread across his torso like a wildfire. Faintly, he heard someone talking. He thought someone touched him before he slipped further into breathless pain. 

**——LINE BREAK——**

It wasn’t often but sometimes after Bucky had a nightmare or a sliver of a memory creep into his dreams, he’d get out of bed and go to the communal area. He would settle down on the sofa, sometimes with the television on in the background, other times he’d take a book. Usually, the metal-armed man would drift off back to sleep. 

And that’s exactly what happened that night. 

Bucky had fallen asleep on the sofa, something Tony hadn’t noticed as he snuck in for coffee. Normally, the soldier was alert enough that he would have woken up when the genius wandered in, but not that night. 

Which meant he was fast asleep until the sound of glass smashing and spreading across the tiled floor echoed through the room, startling him awake. However, only his body seemed to wake up at first, which meant he was reacting on instinct. 

So he woke to find himself holding a smoking gun pointed at the kitchen. More specifically at a figure illuminated by dimmed kitchen lights. As his eyes adjusted, Bucky gasped in horror as he realised what had happened. 

He had shot Tony. 

In the stomach. 

Tony was bleeding out in the kitchen amongst broken glass.

Because Bucky had shot him with a gun out of reflex. 

_Steve was going to kill him._

**——LINE BREAK——**

Getting shot wasn’t anything new for Tony. Almost getting killed wasn’t new either. Yet as he laid there bleeding out, unable to see the room around him clearly, he truly thought he was going to die. He was probably delirious from the loss of blood, but it felt as though he was being drowned in his blood; as though he was in a swimming pool of red that threatened to consume him. 

“Stay with me, Tony,” faintly, he could hear a voice breaking through, it was distorted as though he truly was underwater, “come on, Tones, you’re going to be okay.”  


“Keep pressure on that, Clint.” The new voice was clearer… it sounded like Bruce, which meant the voice from before was likely Clint,  


“Ambulance should be here in five,” Steve… that sounded like Steve,

“You’re going to be okay,” yet the words began to fade again and the darkness that sought him crept closer and closer before engulfing him.

He knew no more. 

**——LINE BREAK——**

“How’s he doing?” Steve was the first to ask as the doctor attending Tony stepped out into the waiting area,

“He’s stable for now, but we lost him a few times on the table. He lost a lot of blood, Mr Rogers.”

“Can we see him?” Clint asked,

“Yes,” the doctor answered after a moment of hesitance, “but be warned, Mr Stark doesn’t look very good and is still unconscious.”

**——LINE BREAK——**

There was an incessant beeping to his left and a murmur to his right, but Tony felt like he was still drowning in his crimson life-force. A sharp echo of agony flicked across his stomach and it was enough to make him gasp, his whiskey eyes opening wide before slamming shut at the shocking brightness of the white room. 

His eyes slowly adjust to the light and without meaning to, his right-hand trails down to the wound he knows laid beneath his hospital gown. In spite of the painkillers in his system, Tony still hissed as his hand dragged ever so gently on his injury. It must have been his imagination that he could still feel the searing pain of being shot because, in reality, he could only feel twinges of the wound.

“You alright, Tones?” Someone to his right asked and the genius tried to sit up, but Bruce quickly intervened,  


“No, no, Tony. You need to stay like that or you’ll pull on your stitches. Let me use the remote to move the bed up.”

“‘kay,” he mumbled reluctantly settling back down and letting Bruce do just that; a twitch of pain flickered over his face as his wound was tugged on ever so slightly.

Finally given chance to look around the room, Tony took in the sight of his fellow Avengers; there were five of them lazed around the room looking at him with small smiles and relief.

“You all look like shit,” he croaked jokingly as he took in their pale skin and panda-like eyes,

“You don’t look too good yourself princess,” snorted Clint,

“Seriously, guys, go get some sleep; looks like you haven’t slept in days,”

“Because we haven’t,” Natasha murmured stepping closer to the bed, “you’ve been in and out of consciousness for six days, Tony.”

“Oh.”

“God, Tony, you were bleeding out, it… we’ve all been through a lot of shit, but I don’t think… I don’t think we’ve ever been so… _scared_ that one of us wouldn’t make it,” Steve whispered,

“I’m alright now, Cap,” Tony mumbled as he reached out to pat his blond friend’s hand, “although… I can’t really remember what happened. Where’s Bucky?”

“You don’t remember?” Bruce asked ignoring the comment on the missing Avenger, 

“Well… I know I wanted coffee, but it was dark… I think… I wanted water as well… I dropped the glass maybe… then I… I got shot?” Tony iterated half-questioningly but Bruce nodded, 

“Yes, from what we can gather that’s what happened.” 

“Did some assassin break in or something?"  


“Not exactly…” Thor stated, speaking for the first time in a manner uncharacteristic of him, 

“Umm, Tony, you know how Tasha and I sometimes react on instinct when we’re startled awake?”  


“Yes,” he answered Clint,

“Well, it’s the same with Bucky.”  


“So?” Tony replied before freezing, “oh… so he shot me,”

“That he did,” Thor once again took over, “it's why he isn’t here with us,”

“You didn’t kill him did you?” Tony exclaimed thinking the worst due to Thor’s strange statement,

“We didn’t kill him, Tony,” chuckled Steve before he sobered, “we just haven’t seen him since the EMTs arrived at the tower,”

“I believe Bucky went into shock when he realised what had happened; plus he no doubt felt guilty and took the first moment he could to leave once Tony was helped,” Bruce added.

“It’s not his fault though,” Tony slurred suddenly, all the energy he’d had moments ago quickly draining as exhaustion overcame him. 

“Go to sleep, котенок,” Natasha murmured pressing a kiss to his forehead in an uncharacteristically maternal manner (only Tony got such treatment from the redhead), “we’ll see you tomorrow.”

**——LINE BREAK——**

“I know you’re there,” Tony murmured at some point late into the night; he’d woken briefly and after a few seconds of trying to work out what had woken him, it became obvious, “you can come out of the shadows now.”

“I’ll go… I just needed to see if…”

“You don’t need to leave, Bucky, just come over here and turn the light on; can’t see a damned thing,” Tony heard a sigh and a few seconds later the light was on allowing the genius to take a good look at the bedraggled soldier,

“I… I am so sorry, Tony… God,” he whispered with a look of horror on his face, “I almost… you almost… I almost killed you. You just… you were bleeding out… and I couldn’t… I couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s okay,” Tony murmured reaching across to place his hand on top of Bucky’s but the metal-armed man pushed it off, 

“No, no it’s not.”

“It is, I should’ve been quieter, not dropped that glass -anyone could’ve been startled awake and anyone could’ve reacted badly like that.”

“Don’t do that, this is in no way your fault Tones; for fuck sake, _I shot you,_ ” 

“I should’ve been quieter though,”

“No. It’s the communal space, Tony, not a private space. I shouldn’t have been in the communal space to sleep -and I definitely shouldn’t have had my gun on me.”

“It’s okay, these things take time, Bucky. You’ve been through so much that it’s to be expected -shooting that gun was a reflex, you didn’t actually mean to shoot me, did you?”  


“Of course not,” 

“There you go, it was an accident. A painful one, but an accident nonetheless. I don’t blame you, Bucky, so you better stop blaming yourself.” 

“Tony-“  


“Nope. Now get some sleep, you look worse than I feel,” with a heavy sigh, Bucky did as he was told and settled in the uncomfortable chair with his head on Tony’s lap. The genius ran his fingers through the man’s hair and before long, Bucky was asleep and Tony was quickly following.

**——LINE BREAK——**

After much complaining, Tony was released from the hospital a few days later with firm instructions to take it easy and the others would no doubt ensure that Tony relaxed. Bucky still felt guilty, but eventually Tony helped him push the guilt away.

There was also a firm rule that at night time, weapons are to be kept out of reach if you were sleeping in the communal area. 

**Author's Note:**

> Next is 'H' and I honestly have no clue what to do! My options are: Heart Attack, Hidden Scar, Hiding an Illness, Hiding an Injury, Human Shield. All of them are quite interesting, I was thinking about the heart attack one, but I don't know if I'd be able to pull it off all that well because it would need to be researched quite a bit and as much as I like to think I pull off the doctor-y stuff somewhat well, a heart attack is quite a bit more complex. Ideas are welcome! 
> 
> [My tumblr](https://anxious---soul.tumblr.com) feel free to say hi or something!  
> 
> 
> Anyway,  
> Thank you for reading,  
> Hope you enjoyed this,  
> Please leave a kudos and a comment  
> 


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